


they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom

by enchantressofyggdrasil



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), Post-Campaign 1 (Critical Role), Post-Canon, soft tea times in zephra, vague dalen's closet spoilers???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:00:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21784111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enchantressofyggdrasil/pseuds/enchantressofyggdrasil
Summary: "Shaun was surely powerful, and he worked long and hard to be able to gain control of the chaos of sorcery like he did, but he could only imagine wielding the kind of magic Keyleth had. She never ceased to impress him, and he did his best to make sure she knew so, every time he saw her."Just a friendship fic focused on Gilmore and Keyleth.
Relationships: Shaun Gilmore & Keyleth
Comments: 13
Kudos: 65





	they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from a quote by Marcel Proust.
> 
> The focus of the fic is definitely on Gilmore and Keyleth (their relationship is very important to me), but maybe there's also a cute druid man that Gilmore might catch feelings for <3
> 
> follow me on twitter @michealachaos!

It had been five years since Exandria had come to the edge of ending, and Shaun Gilmore was having tea with Keyleth within her garden in Zephra. The garden was wide and enclosed by a short wooden fence, impossible to see amidst the hugging grape vines that spilled over the garden’s boundaries. It was verdant and mostly just full of splotches of colour from a variety of fruits and vegetables, but there was a corner of tiny white snowdrops that remained, no matter the season. The table the two of them sat at each time they had tea together was formed from the pale grey roots of a nearby tree. The roots twisted and flowed over each other, a river’s current of wood and bark, until spreading into four legs and an irregularly shaped tabletop, complete with divots and knots.

Shaun sat in one of the table’s chairs, which was also formed from the roots, waiting for Keyleth to return to the garden with the teapot. The air was dry and cool here in the Cliffkeep Mountains, warm enough to mark the approach of spring, but still cold enough that Shaun had pulled his black hair out of its tie to warm his neck and had pulled one of Keyleth’s bright yellow wool shawls around his shoulders. At least Zephra was sheltered from the fierce winds that marked the mountaintops.

Keyleth emerged from the back door soon enough, cradling the ceramic teapot in careful hands smudged dark with fresh soil. “Hot, hot, hot, hot,” she hissed through clenched teeth, before placing the pot a little clumsily on the table. Shaun chuckled fondly.

The chill to the air must not have bothered her after growing up in the village and spending so much time here; she wasn’t even wearing her usual mantle, her pale freckled shoulders bare. Her red hair was a bit longer since the last time Shaun had seen her. The ends tangled and there was even a strand caught up in the antlers of her circlet, making her look endearingly disheveled. She was nearing thirty, leading the whole of the Air Ashari, and Shaun thought she looked just as bright and fresh in the face as she had been the day they met, if maybe a little world-weary, a tinge of dark underneath her eyes. He thumbed instinctively at the streak of grey in his beard that had appeared very quickly after the events of Entropis.

“Sorry about my hands,” Keyleth apologised, beating her palms on her pants and smearing the soil marks. “I know; they’re filthy.”

“You’re fine, dear,” Shaun assured her. He took the teapot and began to pour both teacups full. “It was your turn to pick the tea this month, so, what did you get for us?”

“Oh, it’s called …” Her voice trailed off and she gnawed on her bottom lip. “Huh, you know, I actually don’t know what the plant’s called. I’ll have to look it up, or maybe ask Dad. Anyway, it’s got these gorgeous star-shaped leaves and it’s all pale green and yellow. I-I think it really only grows around here, and I _love_ the taste. It’s fairly bitter, though, so I, uh, I added some cinnamon since I know it’s your favourite.” She ended the statement with a goofy grin.

“That was very thoughtful of you,” Shaun said, a warmth filling his chest before he even sipped the tea. The smell of cinnamon was strong, and Shaun barely let the tea get exposed the cool, open air before tasting it. The bitter tea base undercutting the sharp spike of the spice was _very_ good. 

“You like it?” Keyleth’s fingers threaded between each other atop the table, her thumbs wiggling in anticipation.

Shaun took another sip before responding in a rumble. “It’s … mmm … it’s _delightful_. You keep surprising me with unique flavours to be obsessed with.”

“Heh, we Ashari have some weird tastes.”

“If by weird, you mean _enlightened_ , then certainly.” He pressed back against her awkward modesty with a gentle voice. The power that Keyleth commanded, within her tribe and within nature itself, was masked by her lack of confidence, somewhat improved over the years, yet still a defining trait of her personality. He’d lost count of how many times she had ducked her head in embarrassment when praised, or looked sheepish when describing a particular tradition or characteristic of the Ashari. Shaun tried his best to break her of those habits; after all, how often in the few years after his immigration to Emon did _he_ do something so completely othering and Marquesian-specific that he got strange looks? Enough to make him feel uncomfortable about doing the thing again, that was for sure. But he’d been able to get past that in his thirties, and he wanted Keyleth to do the same, and gain the confidence she was deserving of. 

Shaun was surely powerful, and he worked long and hard to be able to gain control of the chaos of sorcery like he did, but he could only imagine wielding the kind of magic Keyleth had. She never ceased to impress him, and he did his best to make sure she knew so, every time he saw her.

He glanced out of the garden to where the village centre was, strangely empty despite it being the middle of a cloudless, sunny day. “Where’s everyone gone? I expected town to be a little busier.”

“Some of the older folk took a bunch of the kids out to learn how to use a skysail,” Keyleth explained, taking a big gulp of her tea. “It’s kinda like … a rite of passage, I guess?”

“Ah, I feel like you’ve told me before. Don’t you normally join them?”

“Sure, but we had tea planned.” Her eyes squinted in a smile behind her cup.

“Oh … Keyleth, we could’ve rescheduled!”

“No, no, it’s fine! I can go any time.” She gave his hand a soft pat. “I really don’t mind. Anyway, I should teach you how to do it sometime.”

Shaun nearly choked on his tea. “To _skysail_?”

“Of course!”

He cleared his throat behind a nervous half-smile. “You’re kidding.”

“I promise it’s so much fun! It isn’t for _everyone_ , but it’s exhilarating , and it doesn’t have to be Ashari-specific.”

“I imagine it takes a certain amount of, ah, _nimbleness_ to do it properly—”

“ _Well_ …”

“—and I am really not as young as I once was.” He managed to keep the hint of bitterness out of his voice. Aging wasn’t something he’d ever really feared, but within the past few years it had gotten a serious hold on him.

“You’re not _old_ either, though,” Keyleth protested. She narrowed her eyes playfully. “You’re afraid of heights, then?”

“No, I just am not very keen on pitching myself off the nearest cliff,” Shaun responded with a huff of laughter. 

“Okay, that’s fair. I suppose jumping off cliffs for fun doesn’t always end well.” A flash of a sheepish grin passed over her face. “Anyway, I know you prefer to actually relax when we get together.”

“I certainly do.” Shaun treasured their tea dates. They were the one time a month he would let himself relax and do something _decidedly_ not busy. These days he found himself so often falling prey to hyperfixating on a project, working until the creep of sunrise permeated his room, realising he hadn’t slept. He needed the welcome relief of drinking tea in a quiet village with a dear friend. He’d asked Keyleth when they first planned regular afternoons together if they could always use Zephra as their location. Shaun knew that if they met up in Emon, the allure of work and the need to constantly be doing … _something_ would be unbearable. In Zephra, he could forget.

And their tea dates weren’t always just drinking tea in the garden. Sometimes Keyleth mentioned she’d found a book he would be interested in, and she would let him sit on the sofa inside, engrossed in reading, while he felt her fingers tug at strands of his hair, practicing her braids. Other times he would cook a hearty lunch to accompany the tea, and afterwards they’d lounge in the den in sleepy warmth and silence, the kind of silence that is never awkward with a friend. He’d usually doze off then, waking to find Keyleth gone, presumably off to tend to her leadership duties, but he’d find a flower tucked behind his ear. 

Each of those days spelt utter simplicity. He liked to be busy, liked to keep moving, so it was rare that he’d feel the deep swoop of nostalgia in his stomach for the quiet of his hometown in Shandal, but that’s how it was in Zephra.

“Have you thought any about next month’s tea? Any ideas?” Keyleth’s question ended with a yawn as she stretched her gangly arms above her head.

“Ah, well, I did have an idea, but I think I’ll have to bring something else. I don’t know how to get a hold of the flower to make it.”

“Ohhh, it’s one of _those_ flowers.” She gave him an exaggerated wink. “The kind with ‘special properties’.”

“What? No!” Shaun failed to stifle his laughter. “No, really, you’d think I’d offer you hallucinogenic tea?” It took all he had not to dissolve into giggles at the thought of the two of them stoned off their ass in the garden.

“Look, I don’t know, I learn new things about you all the time.” She shrugged, grinning. “And come on, it’s not like I’ve never gotten high from tea before.”

Shaun fanned himself, feeling hot in the face from laughing. “No, no, it’s, heh, it’s a flower that only grows in the desert of Marquet. I suppose I’d have to go there myself to try and find it, but I’m afraid I might be too busy to spend time searching.”

“Ooh, we could ask Avi about it,” she suggested. “He knows a ton about flowers. Maybe he’ll know about that one and could grow some for you.”

“Avi?”

“Yeah, he’s just a couple of houses down.” She pointed up the pathway leading away from the garden. “He’s sure to help.” She stood up suddenly, bumping the table enough to rattle the teacups.

“Alright, alright, wait for me.” Shaun pulled Keyleth’s shawl around himself a little more snugly, the movement of getting to his feet as well sending the cool air to chill parts of his skin that had been warmed with sitting. He doubted that someone from a small mountain village in Tal’dorei would know of a fairly uncommon flower from a separate continent, but he supposed it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

Keyleth led him up the path, striding along far faster than him with her long legs. It wasn’t far when they stopped, like she had said, and he instantly knew which house they were meant to visit. He assumed the house was about the same size and shape as Keyleth’s, but it was nigh impossible to tell there was a house at all under the growing plants. And it wasn’t just plants; there were _hundreds_ of flowers. Pink hydrangeas papered the outer walls; wisteria melted along the arbor leading to the yard; a flower Shaun didn’t recognise, black and blue with spade-shaped petals, climbed and twisted its way along the fence. Every bloom would shiver at once as a cool, soft breeze rushed through. Looking at one spot of colour revealed another, and another, and another, until the sheer amount of colour blurred the vision, and Shaun had to blink a couple times to refocus. 

“Avi!” Keyleth called into the jungle of blossoms.

“I’m here in the back garden!” A distant voice answered in a lilting accent noticably different from Keyleth’s but not unlike it either.

“C’mon, slowpoke,” Keyleth joked, looping her arm in Shaun’s and heading toward the voice. The mass of petals tickled his cheeks and he watched as some dislodged and caught themselves in Keyleth’s hair.

The back garden was hard to distinguish from the rest of the yard, as the amount of flowers stayed pretty consistant throughout. But eventually, after avoiding a patch of roses and ducking underneath an archway of sunflowers, they spotted a figure sprinkling water over a bush of morning glories. 

“Hello, Avi!” Keyleth greeted with a wave, bouncing a couple times on the balls of her feet.

“H—Oh, Lady Keyleth!” Avi gave a hurried curtsy. “I hadn’t realised it was you.”

Avi was cute, shorter than Keyleth but just as wiry, mid-to-late thirties, with dark brown skin and thick black locs that hung down to his elbows. There were a number of small daisies woven into his coarse hair and a garland of assorted wildflowers hung around his neck and waist. His bright black-brown eyes stared at them expectantly.

Keyleth grimaced at the curtsy. “You don’t—you know, you don’t need to do that.” A red colour spread across her face, blending her freckles together. “I-I just—we just wanted to ask you something.”

“You must be Shaun Gilmore,” Avi said, dipping his head in Shaun’s direction, beaming.

“Mm, does Keyleth talk about me a lot?” Shaun raised an eyebrow in Keyleth’s direction with the faintest hint of a smirk. She rolled her eyes, the redness in her face remaining.

“Of course, and I see you down the road in her garden sometimes.” The corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. “You’re, heh, hard to miss.”

Shaun busied himself spinning one of the rings on his hand to disguise the fact that that small bit of flattery struck him a lot harder than he expected. He cleared his throat. “So, Keyleth tells me you’re Zephra’s resident flower expert?”

Avi laughed. “I’m alright with that title. Druids are known to have some sort of connection with nature, wherever your interest may lie; flowers just happen to be _my_ interest.”

“He wanted to know if you knew of a particular flower, enough to be able to grow some of it,” Keyleth said.

“Of course! You know the name, a description, maybe?”

“We’ve always called it a desert marigold,” Shaun explained. “It isn’t really a marigold; it just resembles one. The blooms are about the size of my fist, usually red and orange, but I have seen the rare yellow one.” The more he described the flower, the more he realised how faded his memory of it was. The last time he’d seen one he had only been, what, seventeen? More than half a lifetime ago. He found it harder and harder to remember the shape of the petals, where he had seen them growing back home, and he fell silent for a moment. “I, uh, I’m sorry, I am no artist, so I’m afraid I couldn’t sketch a picture of it, and I don’t have any sort of illusory magic to show it off.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Avi said. “Unfortunately I don’t think I know of a flower like that off the top of my head. I vaguely recognise the name, but that’s about it.”

“Ah, well, it was a long shot,” Shaun sighed, lifting his hands in defeat.

“Well, don’t be disappointed just yet,” Avi said. “I can still spend some time looking it up, see if I can get familiar enough with it to grow some.”

“I couldn’t ask you to take time out of your day for something like that!”

“Honestly, I just really like flowers,” Avi replied, his face warm with amusement. “If you hadn’t even asked I’d probably be doing something similar anyway, like reading about the toxic pollen of flowers in the Bramblewood. I’ll get back to you on this, or back to Lady Keyleth.”

“Thank you, Avi,” Keyleth said. “We’ll let you get back to your gardening.”

“Yes, thank you,” Shaun repeated. “That’s very kind of you.”

Avi winked at them and bowed once more before continuing with watering. Shaun glanced back over his shoulder twice while leaving the yard with Keyleth.

“I guess I’ll just have to bring you some other tea next month,” he told her when they were back on the path. “Something _boring_ , like herbal tea.” He chuckled when Keyleth looked aghast.

“Oh, stop it, you know I’ll happily drink whatever tea you have to offer me, _boring_ or not.” She knocked her shoulder against his. “Even if it’s full of hallucinogens.”

“Mm, very funny. Same time next month?”

“Oh!” She grabbed his hand in surprise. “I forgot to ask. I mean, yes, next month for sure, but on the 20th we’re having a festival for the spring equinox, you know? What about having tea around brunch time and then, I dunno, staying a bit for the rest of the day?”

“Am I … allowed to attend that?”

“Duh. Why wouldn’t you be?”

“I suppose I just figured it was only for the Ashari. I know I come here a lot, but I didn’t think it meant I had permission to go to festivals.”

“No, no, they’re for anyone!” Keyleth assured him. “And seriously, even if they weren’t, I would give you special Voice of the Tempest permission. I don’t take advantage of my authority here hardly ever, but I would use the shit out of it for that.”

Shaun felt a swell of affection in his chest that grew until it caught in his throat, and he paused before responding to gain control of his voice. “Thank you, dear,” he finally managed, his voice quiet. “A festival sounds _fabulous_. I can’t wait.”

“And don’t worry, we can still have some _boring_ tea beforehand.” 

He reached out a hand and brushed some of the still-clinging petals out of her hair. She shook her hair in a way very reminiscent of a dog, and the remaining petals drifted down. He drew her in for a tight hug, lifting his chin a little so he could rest it on her shoulder. Shaun tried to make the love he had for her clear in every hug they shared, even if Keyleth was all elbows and sometimes unsure how to return physical affection, standing awkwardly and unable to express how she felt. But this time she hugged back a little too strong, and she didn’t let go first. 

He pressed a warm kiss to the side of her head before pulling away, tugging her shawl off from around his shoulders. He draped it around her own and tied together the corners in front. “Be good, as always.”

Her hands came together with a glow, and a moment later there was a daffodil in her hands, already being placed in his robes’ pocket. “If only for you.”

__________________________

Arriving a few hours before noon, Shaun could see plenty of prep for the festival later; pink and pale green streamers along with twisted vine garlands hung over many of the buildings, the faint whistle of a flute from practicing musicians, the swirling scent of some cooking confections. The celebration of spring had summoned a light warmth to the air, even here in the mountains.

Shaun wasn’t sure what was appropriate to wear to an Ashari festival, so he mostly just picked things at random. White robes adorned with a number of teal and fuschia scarves, and sandals, thinking, and being correct, that the weather would be nice enough for them. Most of his jewellry remained as what he usually liked, except he removed his bracelets, leaving on only the assortment of multi-coloured twine ones that Keyleth had woven for him. 

He made his way to her garden first; he hardly ever entered through the front door anymore. He would’ve gone in with no hesitation if it weren’t for the splash of yellow on their tea table. Out of the corner of his eye he thought it could’ve been simply paint, due to Keyleth getting crafty in the backyard, but when he turned to look, it was a single flower. Its petals were ruffled on the edges and packed together full and tight, forming a nearly spherical bloom. A desert marigold. 

He hurried inside with the stem between his fingers, holding it like this delicate fragment of a memory would break or fade the minute he strengthened his grip. Keyleth was right inside, already rinsing out the teapot and cups. She looked up to the squeak of the hinges.

“Hey, you’re here!” One of the cups slipped out of her hands and she fumbled for a few seconds before catching it again. “Whoops.”

“Did you leave this on the table outside?” Shaun asked.

“Oh, hm? The flower?” She peered at it closely. “No, I’m not sure where that’s from, but it’s pretty!”

“It’s a desert marigold.”

She grinned. “So I’m guessing your tea plans have changed.”

“I … yes, I was planning on just some green tea, but this is far better.” He nodded at the door. “Go on, I won’t be long.”

The flower looked exactly as he remembered. A memory from essentially a kid, something Shaun felt, with a growing sense of fear, was being lost with age, and it was clear now. Even if Keyleth hadn’t left it for him, the effect was the same. The worries over losing childhood memories as time went on faded, and the flower would never be forgotten, locked in the amber of his mind. 

He prepared the tea as carefully as he could, not wanting to lose any of its potency. The smell while brewing soothed him: a sting of sweetness akin to jasmine, a dull warmth like honeysuckle. He put a drop of honey in each cup, a sprinkle of cinnamon in his own, and a single yellow petal in both.

Keyleth snorted as he reentered the garden. “You know, you really didn’t have to get all dolled up for this. It’s a pretty casual festival.”

“Keyleth, this is as casual as my wardrobe will allow me to be without putting on sleepwear,” Shaun replied. He bowed slightly. “Really, I’m not even wearing any jewellry in my hair.”

“Could I braid it instead, then?” she asked. “Maybe put some wildflowers in it?”

He set her cup in front of her. “If you’d like to, sure.”

She inhaled a whiff of the steam rising from the tea and closed her eyes. One sip later and her eyes opened wide. “Damn, that is _good_.”

“This is a tea I grew up with,” Shaun said. “Not something we had all the time, mind you, but when we could find the flowers, we’d save it for as long as we could.”

Keyleth took another sip, sighing into it. “You know, I think Avi must’ve left the flower here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he said he’d look up the flower, and he probably was able to find it, even grow some.”

“I thought he said he’d get back to us.”

“He could’ve just forgotten to mention it. Plus I think he likes you.”

Shaun coughed on his tea, narrowly avoiding inhaling the petal. “You think so?” he choked out through streaming eyes.

“Oh, yes,” Keyleth said, the mischievous gleam in her eyes unmistakable. “I brought some vegetables over to him a couple weeks ago and he mentioned you. I told him I invited you to the festival.” She took another long sip of her tea. “Flowers aren’t the only thing he finds sweet.”

Shaun’s face flushed, though not entirely because of Keyleth’s compliment. He didn’t reply, only gulped a little too much tea and scalded his tongue. 

“Anyway,” Keyleth continued, “I’m glad we’re able to just sit down for a little while before the festival. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s gonna be great, but I’ve just been doing a lot to prepare for it, among other things.”

Shaun noticed that the circles under her eyes were a bit darker. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah! Yeah, of course!” she answered in a very unconvinving tone.

He knew she wouldn’t admit to him that she was tired unless she really wanted to, but he worried about her often, and he couldn’t help but ask. “Are you sure?” he pressed. “I don’t know much about your … obligations, your duties as a leader, but if you need help trying to manage, I’ll do my best.”

She smiled. “You’d do my job way better than me. You actually know how to talk to people.”

“I don’t think being a leader is just knowing how to talk to people.”

“Yeah, but it certainly helps.”

Shaun chuckled. “Alright, that’s fair.” He grabbed her free hand with his own. “Just don’t forget I’m here. I know what it’s like to put on a positive face because that’s what everyone expects, and if you show one little crack, people call into question all of the responsibilities you’ve taken on.”

Keyleth held his gaze before looking into her cup. “I’m … I’m not there. Not yet, at least.”

“I would hate for you to be. It’s a very, very lonely place. You have me if you need me.” 

She squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”

The festival started right after noon. Keyleth ended up braiding Shaun’s hair and filling it with conjured wildflowers, Shaun used prestidigitation to add sparkles to hers, and she ended up donning her usual mantle, although it had been laced with so many pink tulip petals that the leaves beneath weren’t visible. Shaun didn’t really know anything about Melora, but he guessed that maybe she looked like that. He laughed when she’d shown him the mantle (“And you said _I_ was too dressed-up!”) and they walked arm in arm to the centre of the festivities.

It was already lively by the time they arrived. A portion of trees near the cliff was draped in fabrics, marking where younger kids were taking turns with skysails. The cherry blossom tree at the edge of the cliff was decorated in unlit lanterns. A band of six was playing an upbeat tune in the middle of a circle of dancers. Figures and families sitting on multicoloured blankets surrounded a long, squat table full of food. 

It wasn’t more than ten minutes before Keyleth was dragged away by a group of kids Shaun recognised as the ones that tailed her during her duties like ducklings, fasciated by the Voice of the Tempest. He tried to keep one eye on her, but she vanished quickly within the crowd of other Ashari. He passed a couple groups of people playing some sort of dice betting game, and a gaggle of small children catching beetles in the brush. 

He wandered over to the food, hoping the table was visible enough for Keyleth to spot him if she needed him. He was in the middle of eating some rose macarons when he recognised someone out of the corner of his eye. Avi.

“Oh, hi!” Avi greeted, a warm smile already on his lips. “Lady Keyleth mentioned you would be here.”

Shaun felt caught off guard enough that he couldn’t get it words right at first. “Oh, yes … she did? Here at the … table?”

Avi laughed. “No, the festival.”

“Right, right, ah, yes, it was really very sweet of her to invite me,” Shaun recovered, trying to mask his embarrassment.

“I’m glad she did.”

A thought occurred to Shaun, and he spoke impulsively before he weighed it in his mind. “Did you happen to leave a desert marigold on her garden table?”

“So you did get it!”

“I—it _was_ you, then?”

“I was able to find a book that mentioned them, and it gave enough information for me to grow a bunch.” He shrugged. “Lady Keyleth had brought me some tomatoes a couple weeks ago, and when she mentioned you’d be joining her for the festival, I thought maybe I’d leave a flower where you’d be most likely to see it.”

A sparkle of fondness settled in Shaun’s gut. “Thank you for … well, looking it up, delivering a flower, you’ve been very kind. With that particular flower there’s a bit of, ah, childhood nostalgia associated with it.”

“Well, if you ever want more, I’ve got a patch growing in my garden,” Avi said. “It normally wouldn’t be the kind of environment for it to grow naturally but, well, that’s what I enjoy so much about druidic magic.”

“It does make for _excellent_ tea.”

“Really? You’ll have to show me how to make it sometime.” His eyes twinkled.

“Perhaps I will.” 

“Although, if you want one of those marigolds now …” Avi’s hands came together in a way Shaun was very familiar with, seeing Keyleth use druidcraft a hundred times, and a thick stem grew between his thumb and index finger until it bloomed into an orange cluster of petals. “I’m well-acquainted with them now.” He offered the flower with a smile that was almost shy.

Shaun paused before taking it, feeling flustered. “You’ve already done so much; I hardly feel like I deserve another gift.”

“Then take it as appreciation for liking my macarons.” Avi gestured to one of the dishes of pinkish cookies set out.

“So you’re a gardener _and_ a baker?”

“Ehhh, not quite? Heh, I really only know how to make cookies. If you want a baker, you should talk to Cami. They have blessed hands when it comes to pastries.”

Shaun stuck his new flower at the end of his braid. “Tell you what, if I’m to make you tea sometime, why don’t you make us some more macarons to go with it?” 

“Deal.”

__________________________

Unfortunately, Shaun didn’t see much of Keyleth during the festivities. About two hours after she had been dragged off the first time, she found him again, her hair mussed and looking a little wild. 

“Those kids wanted me to give them rides as a giant eagle!” she groaned, rubbing her neck. “I’m still sore from where some of the younger ones yanked out my feathers. Aren’t the skysails enough?”

But she was gone again after they danced once. She was a little clumsy and not very good, but Shaun had fun, and wherever she kept disappearing to he hoped she was feeling the same. He recognised very few people amongst the crowds, and while that never really turned him off to parties, he still thought he would enjoy himself even more if Keyleth was with him.

When the daylight started to fade, the crowds pressed together even more around a certain building. Apparently there was meant to be a light show involving fireflies and music. Shaun hadn’t seen anything of the sort before, and planned to stay and watch, when he noticed the lanterns on the cliffside cherry blossom glowing in the dusk, their diffused pink light framing a lanky, antlered figure dangling her legs over the drop.

Shaun didn’t hesitate. He made his way over to her, swallowing the concern that dipped in his chest seeing her so close to a thousand-foot fall. He knew it was just instinct; she was impossibly powerful, and if she fell, she would fly. Not even that could kill her. 

The sunset painted a swath of amber, pink, and lavender across the sky and clouds, dripping colour onto nearby mountaintops. It bathed Keyleth’s face as she stared over the land below, valleys and forests, and some low-lying clouds that looked solid enough to step on. 

“All partied out?” Shaun settled next to her, curling his feet at his side rather than leting them hang.

She shifted over to give him space, managing a half-smile. “A little.” She sighed. “I know this isn’t the kind of party you’re usually used to, so—”

“No, no, it’s been lovely!” he cut in. “To be frank, I haven’t been to a party like this in years. Well, not a _real_ party. You know the last _real_ party I went to? The de-Rolo’s re-wedding.”

Keyleth’s face fell in her hands, covering giggles. “Oh _gods_.”

“Which, not that I didn’t have fun there! It’s just … you know.”

“No, I do,” she said. “I’m glad you’re having fun at least.”

“You aren’t.” It wasn’t really a question. Shaun knew her better than that. 

She sighed, long and loud, as though trying to expel every worry she had through her breath. “You were right earlier,” she began. “I’m not handling this leader thing very well. I’m struggling.”

Shaun didn’t say anything, just let her continue.

“I know it’s been a few years, but I’m _still_ so overwhelmed with the responsibility I have, and the duties I have, with everyone of any age looking up to me like I’m meant to have all the answers. I never feel like I’m cut out for this.”

“Keyleth, dear, I doubt the Voice of the Tempest is meant to have it all figured out so early.” He could hear the commotion of the light show behind them starting.

“But my people don’t need me to fuck around until I figure it out!” she protested. 

“No one is letting you do this alone. Your father had this role for a while, didn’t he? You could always ask him for advice.”

“I suppose,” she said, her voice still a little sullen. “I guess I don’t ever think of leaders having to depend on their dads.”

Shaun chuckled. “You aren’t even thirty yet. I think you’re fine. And you have your whole life ahead of you to figure things out. No one just immediately knows everything when they reach a certain age. I mean, look at me.”

Keyleth laughed out loud. “You still know a lot.”

“Never enough, though.” He took her hand and kissed the top of it. “I know you’re struggling, but I meant what I said before. I don’t know much about political affairs and _leading_ , but you have my support however you need it. Maybe not for the rest of your life, but certainly for the rest of mine.”

A streak of wet marked her cheek. “Thanks.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. Another long sigh, an exhale tinged with laughter. “Shit, I’m really sorry for being such a downer! I know this isn’t how you imagined a spring equinox festival to end. Sometimes I wonder if you’d even come by if I didn’t make you good tea.”

Shaun slipped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed, his voice strained with endearment. “You are warmer and sweeter than any tea could ever be.”

They were both silent for a minute, the final arc of the sun slipping just past the horizon but leaving the sky stained with the memory of it. Shaun was the first to speak again.

“Do you want to be alone, or shall I stay?”

“You _love_ parties.”

“I do. But I love you more, and no party is worth leaving you by yourself if you don’t want to be.”

Keyleth wiped her eyes and lifted her antlered circlet off her head. She set it in her lap and then leaned her head against his shoulder. “Stay, please.”

He pulled the desert marigold from his braid and stuck it behind her ear. It matched her hair. The first warm breeze of spring rustled a few cherry blossoms loose and carried them away.


End file.
